1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus and more particularly to a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus for recording an audio signal, a video signal or the like on a magnetic tape accommodated within a tape cassette, and for reproducing the recorded signal from the magnetic tape.
2. Background of the Invention
There are available a variety of magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing an audio signal, a video signal or the like. In particular, video tape recorders (VTR) which use a tape cassette holding a magnetic tape are available in several different types. One type employs a cassette loading system in which the cassette is inserted horizontally into the VTR through an opening provided in a front panel of the housing, and only the cassette itself is moved horizontally and vertically within the housing to be positioned in a predetermined operative position. Another type of VTR employs a cassette loading system in which the cassette is inserted into a cassette holder which initially projects upwardly from the upper panel of the housing, and the cassette holder is then moved downwardly to position the tape cassette in the predetermined operative position. Both cassette loading systems have distinct disadvantages. In the first type, since the cassette is moved vertically within the housing, the housing is required to have a vertical dimension large enough to accommodate this motion, so that the VTR is increased in height. On the other hand, in the second type, since the cassette holder is projected from the upper panel of the housing for receiving or ejecting a cassette, additional apparatus cannot be positioned on the upper panel of the housing.
To remove the above shortcomings inherent in these types of prior art magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, a magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus of the front loading, linear motion type has been proposed, in which a cassette mounting section is inserted into and drawn out from the front of the housing. However, in this proposed magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, only a tape driving section and a magnetic head assembly are provided as parts of the cassette mounting section, so that this front loading type magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus cannot play a cassette having a lid at its front which has to be opened upon use. Neither can it play a tape cassette in which the magnetic tape has to be withdrawn from the tape cassette and loaded onto the magnetic head assembly upon use. Further, this proposed front loading magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus does not have a cassette holder which moves the cassette from an eject position to a tape drive or operative position. Finally, in proposed magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having a tape loading mechanism for loading the magnetic tape onto a magnetic head assembly, the operations of moving the cassette horizontally within the housing and loading the tape are carried out independently, so that the entire operation in which the cassette is inserted into the cassette holder and the magnetic tape undergoes a loading operation to establish the recording or reproducing mode requires a relatively long period of time.
In addition, in proposed magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus having a cassette holder, it has been necessary to separately operate an eject button to move the cassette holder to an eject position out of the housing.